Time Bomb
by MerryAnchor16
Summary: Modern AU: Sanji's life changes when he meets Zoro, a member of the underground network gang 'SMILE'. But is it for the better? Or is it for the worst? Rated M for violence and sexual scenes later on.


**AN: A side project to get me back into writing~ I might develop into it~**

* * *

Two kids, no consequences  
Pull a trigger without thinking  
There's only one way down this road

Timebomb by All Time Low

* * *

Sanji yawned again, trying as best he could to stifle it with his hand as he lazily glanced from side to side. If Nami caught him even slightly sleepy he knew she'd have his balls for it. The room was exceptionally full tonight of both civilians and agents alike. The Baratie was a popular place for gangs to meet and Nami the assistant manager wasn't going to complain- her customers mainly consisted of tyrannous, blood thirsty mafias, but they were rich tyrannous, blood thirsty mafias. Sanji Baratie had worked here for ten years, ever since Zeff Baratie (his adoptive father) opened it for business and never had he seen Nami turn down a customer, not even once.

From the corner of the room came a deep, throaty laugh and the cook looked up to see Mr Crocodile guffawing contentedly, his cheeks a little red from the sake he'd been drinking and the scar that ran along his nose wrinkled from his smile. He was clapping the shoulder of the young man who was seated next to him before composing himself and taking another large swig of booze. The man in question seemed to be no older than Sanji. He wore a black bandana, shrouding his eyes and hair and his skin was bronzed with a deep tan that seemed to melt over well defined muscles and bones. Three earrings hung loosely from one ear and they jangled as he turned his head to look straight into Sanji's eyes, obviously noticing the cook's stare. The blonde quickly turned his head away and pretended to be busy with some none existant papers on the counter. He was finished cooking for tonight and his last shift was almost up. All he had to do was wait for everyone to clear out, acting as a bouncer for any stragglers who tried to start up a fight, he didn't want to end up in one.

"You okay, Sanji?" piped up a voice and the chef looked up, face visibly brightening as Nami smiled down to him. She was clad in tight dark jeans, a crop top and a dark denim jacket, and her long fiery red hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Sanji flashed her his best smile,

"Hai, Nami-swan! With you here I feel much better!" He cooed and she giggled as she joined Sanji, back hunched and arms propping her up on the counter. She looked out across the tables,

"We're very busy tonight, eh?" She smiled, "Having the Baroque Works here has done wonders for business."

"And made it a hell of a lot more dangerous..." Sanji muttered, wincing as Nami smacked him on the back of the head with her clipboard.

"It's not like you can't handle them, so stop bitching."

The cook poked his tongue out at her while she was occupied with watching a couple who just left rather noisily. A second later the clipboard slammed on his head again, "I saw that," she smirked as Sanji rubbed the sore patch forming on his scalp. Nami checked her watch, "It'll be time to pull down the shutters soon," she commented, "I trust you'll take care of any trouble, Sanji-kun?"

"You can rely on me, Mellorine! There's nothing I wouldn't do for you!"

"Good. Because I need to get back as soon as possible."

"Why? I thought Luffy was staying out late tonight?"

"Yeah, but I left Ace alone and I've got to check he hasn't set something on fire... again," She sighed. For the past two years, the two brothers had been staying with her after Ace's home was destroyed by a rogue gang with a taste for explosives. He'd promised he'd leave once he had got the money for a new apartment and he'd saved up a lot, doing odd jobs and errands for people he shouldn't have been mixing with, but he said the pay was fantastic and he got free protection against other gangs so there was no way his new place would be destroyed- working for Crocodile and Baroque Works did have its perks. Both Nami and Sanji were fully aware Ace had the money by now, but everytime he tried to leave, Nami always found a reason for him to stay a while longer and Sanji thought it was pretty obvious what was going on. Not that he minded, Nami had made it pretty clear years ago that Sanji was a friend and nothing more.

"Tell him I said hi," Sanji said and Nami nodded before clapping her hands,

"Right, I'll get rid of this lot. You know what to do Sanji."

"Hai, Nami-swan!~"

As the last of the customers left, some walking calmy, chatting after their meals, and others swaggering slightly, cheeks red and goofy smiles on their faces, Sanji locked up the back. He turned the key, donned his jacket and walked through the kitchen to the front to keep watch by the door. He kept his gaze focused, watching out for trouble makers as he leaned against the door frame.

"Sanji! Another great meal!" Crocodile's booming voice slammed against the cook's eardrums and he winced slightly. Had the man ever heard of talking? The gang leader smiled down at him, standing a full eight feet tall and casting a dark shadow over the nineteen year old. Sanji stood straighter and bowed his head,

"You're certainly welcome, Crocodile-san," He said, "Do come visit again." It was a forced line. A practised line Nami had forced him to learn to curb his mouth. Oh, there were plenty of things Sanji wanted to say to Crocodile. One in particular beginning with 'fuck' and ending with 'you'. Crocodile clapped the chef fondly on the shoulder with his one remaining hand, the other replaced by a wicked sharp golden hook, and dug into the pocket of his thick, clearly expensive coat.

"Here, something for your troubles," He put his hand out, a wad of belis in his hand. He put the tip into Sanji's palm before he could even resist. The gang leader turned his head, "Come on Zoro, we've got business to attend to."

The man with the bandana appeared from seemingly nowhere. He looked at Sanji with something akin to disgust and nodded sliently, the three earrings in his ear chiming. The chef looked to the three swords attached to his hip by a green waistband and when he looked back up at Zoro's face, he was met with a devilish smirk. Crocodile made his way out, "I thank you again for the meal, Sanji."

Zoro followed casually after, swords swinging against his hip.

"Oi, no weapons next time. It's the policy," Sanji called after him, leaning back against the frame. Zoro threw him a glare, eyes flashing, before leaving.

It wasn't until after the whole restaurant was empty that Nami put on her coat. She made her way over to the door, "Do you need a lift tonight, Sanji?" She asked. The chef shook his head,

"Nah, I'm staying at the crappy geezers place tonight. I'll walk, it's not that far."

"Well okay then..." she murmured and pulled out her phone, dialling a number. She snapped it shut without leaving a message, "Bastard, he won't pick up the phone... He's probably broken something... No he HAS broken something. Idiot!" She looked up at the chef who was frowning, "Ace," she said, the name an explanation in itself. She then frowned in concern, "Be careful- walking back by yourself..."

"Che. I'll be fine. You said I could take them on, eh?" he winked. Nami sighed,

"I-I know. But that new face today. The man with the three swords... There's something not right with him, I can sense it. Just... Just be wary, okay?" she leaned over and pecked Sanji on the cheek, leaving him melting into a puddle in the doorway, "Goodnight, Sanji-kun."

At that moment her phone rang and she whipped it open, "What have you done? No... Tell me. What. Have. You. Done?... I know you're lying, Ace, you're a terrible liar... Tell me what you broke- hey, hey, hey, I didn't ask for your life story, just tell me what it was!... That's the fifth time you've broken that this month, Ace- oh, so it just DETACHED ITSELF from the WALL and THREW ITSELF ACROSS THE ROOM?!... Is- is someone there? Is that LUFFY?! I thought he was out? What do you mean he got in trouble? The police? Again? No Ace I can't really talk to him right- oh hello, Smoker."

Sanji hid a smirk behind his fringe.

"Luffy did what? Oh... That again. I'm so, so, sorry. I keep telling him that. Yes, yes I am aware that the punishment is a fine. Boys will be boys, eh? I'm terribly sorry, but could you put Ace on the phone? What was that? Oh... He broke a plate?- what do you mean 'plates'? How many did he break?! What?! I- could, er, could you just put him on the phone, please? Thanks..." There was a brief pause,"...You are so fucking dead. The both of you." With that, she slammed the mobile shut. She rubbed a hand across her cheeks, "I better go get that sorted then."

"What did they do?" Sanji enquired and Nami threw a look at him,

"Don't even ask. See you tomorrow Sanji!" She all but flew out of the door. Sanji laughed good naturedly to himself as he flicked the switches, plummeting the restaurant into the abyss of darkness. He pulled the door shut and locked it behind him and turned into the biting wind, shuddering as it snapped and nipped his cheeks. As he walked, he slipped a hand into his pocket and placed the cigarette between his lips. He fumbled with the lighter a moment, the cold already numbing his fingers, until a spark flared and caught the end of the paper. He took a deep drag and sighed happily, the smoke coiling out from his mouth to whirl off into the night.

Sanji's father lived three blocks from the Baratie Restaurant in a large modern house that should have been called a mansion. The old man owned the Baratie but, since Sanji was Sous Chef, he only worked a five day week. Sanji had moved out last year and hadn't visited for a few months now. It wasn't that Sanji had been kicked out by Zeff, the blond had left of his own accord- he'd taken too much from the man and he didn't want to ask any more of him- but tonight his father had asked him to come stay and Sanji couldn't keep on putting off visits.

A dog barked as he turned the corner onto the next street, the sound loud against the silence of the roads. They town was quiet, most civilians had left for the Christmas holidays with December 25th just a week away. The ones that remained had the sense not to go out after dark. Mobs roamed the streets at night, and it wasn't unusual for gunshots and wailing sirens to be heard in the early hours of the morning. His footsteps slapped on the pavement, the left foot striking harder than the right- just in case self defence was required. His cigarette had burnt down to a stub and he paused by the gap between two buildings, dropping it to the floor and snuffing it out with his shoe.

"They were a threat to society and us. I simply removed the threat."

"Ah, but was it really necessary to kill all of them?"

"Hey, I was following orders... and so were you."

Two voices echoed out through the alleyway between the two buildings Sanji was stood at and the cook stiffened visibly. Already his mind was assessing the situation- he was out at night, the nearest lampost was a good few meters away and he was in the shadows, he was stood in front of a dark alleyway where two men (possible gang members) were cleaning up the evidence of a fight- it didn't look good. He needed to move without them seeing him and run to Zeff's, it was only one more block away, he could make it easily. Sanji turned on his heel and prepared to bolt but he'd barely taken a step forward when a sharp clap ripped through the air.

"What? What did you go and do that for?!"

"I-I thought I saw something! I panicked!"

The voices were louder, closer now. One was gruff and angry, the other a higher tone that trembled with fear. Sanji made to step off into the dark shadow cast by a large bin when a sharp pain erupted from his stomach. He let out a gasp before he could stop himself, completely taken by surprise.

"Che. Looks like you were right, Usopp... It appears we have company..."

"Neh, you can handle them, right? Oi, Zoro! Are you listening?"

Sanji gritted his teeth against the sharp pangs that tore through his stomach. What the hell was going on? What was wrong with him?

There was a 'tmp' of footfalls behind him before they stopped, followed by a clack and the song of a blade being unsheathed. Sanji turned his head to face them, his torso bent slightly against the pain, and was met with a pair of dark eyes. They watched him closely, hostile at first but then a flash crossed through them and the gaze became one of recognition.

"Oi, you're that annoying shit-cook... What are you doing here?" The man stepped closer until Sanji could see him fully. He was the same height as the chef if not a little taller, with dark searching eyes and a black bandana tied roughly around his head. At his side hung two swords and one empty scabbard, its resident currently being pointed at Sanji's face, "I said: what're you doing here?"

Sanji suddenly felt numb, his blood was running cold in his veins and he swayed lightly. It was hard to think, he was processing the man's words but was unable to form an answer. He frowned, confused, and his hand moved up slowly, placing it against where he felt coldest in his stomach. He flinched when he felt something wet caress his palm.

The man in the bandana turned the katana in his hand, "What did you hear?" He asked, voice dangerously soft. Sanji simply stared. What was it on his hand? Why was something on his hand? Vaguely, in the back of his mind, he remembered Crocodile calling the man before him 'Zoro'. The blond moved his hand away and looked down.

Red.

Crimson covered his palm, slipping between his fingers and staining into his skin. A coppery scent caught his attention. He was bleeding. He was bleeding badly. He blinked dumbly, transfixed on his hand, and the blossoming colour blooming on his clothes, saturating them. He spoke softly, "You shot me..."

The bandana man, Zoro, tilted his head, the blade lowered a little, "Wha?"

Sanji looked up, lightheadedness swirling his vision, "You... shot me..."

"But I didn't-" Zoro's eyes widened from under the bandana as his gaze met the small hole torn through the other man's abdomen, "Shit!" He cursed, "Usopp!"

"Wh-what?" Called a voice from somewhere behind Zoro. There was a shuffling noise as well.

Pain, worse than that before, slammed into the cook with brute force. It was as if all the air had been forced from his lungs and he couldn't breathe. His vision swam, his head throbbed and his stomach burned like acid. He staggered, knees buckling under him and he would've hit the ground were it not for Zoro grabbing at him with his free arm.

The green haired man looked frustrated, anger furrowing his brow, "Fuck! Usopp you fucking shot him!"

"I-It was an accident! J-just call an ambulance a-and leave him!"

Zoro turned his head, snapping at the other man over his shoulder, "We can't do that- there's not enough fucking time! Do you realize what you've done? He was on the fucking protection list you dumbass!"

"Well I didn't know! It was dark, it could've been anyone!"

Sanji's head was spinning, and he spasmed in Zoro's firm grasp and the man growled in stress, "Bring the car around!"

"What?"

"I said, bring the goddamn car around! We'll drive him there ourselves!"

"But-"

"Do it! He's going into shock already!" Zoro barked, "If he dies then we're dead too, idiot!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going!"

There was the sound of shoes scraping as Usopp ran off and Zoro moved too, placing the katana onto the ground with a metallic clatter and lay Sanji down on his back. His mouth was moving in an inaudible string of curses as he tugged off his bandana, balling it up and pressing it firmly into the bullet wound, ignoring Sanji's small cry of pain. The man's face was a determined scowl as he glared down into the blond's eyes, "You better not die, shit head."

Sanji's vision was fading fast though and a sinister ringing began to rise in his ears to an uncomfortable din. His eyes fluttered gently, almost slipping shut to open once again to Zoro growling in his face, "Don't you fall asleep, you bastard. I-"

But Sanji didn't hear the rest as his head lolled sideways and his body gave up into the welcoming hold of unconsciousness.


End file.
